State Lawmaker Among Layoffs

{Louisville, Kentucky}...State Representative Reggie Meeks is among about two dozen employees who have recently lost their jobs as the University of Louisville. University spokeswoman Cindy Hess says the cuts are an effort to trim costs before the start of the 2012-13 fiscal year, which begins Sunday. Hess says the school's deans and department heads have up to a year to make cuts to deal with a $49.7 million hole in the school's budget brought on by a 6.4 percent reduction in state funds. Since the 2007-2008 school year, the General Assembly has reduced its funding to the university to $163 million from $191 million, while the school increased tuition each year. Meeks has worked at the university for 22 years. He most recently worked as associate director for outreach programs in the College of Arts & Sciences. The University of Kentucky also recently announced that it had let go of 140 employees to close a $44 million shortfall.